Community Services Programme
Information
The Community Services Programme aims to support local community activity to address disadvantage and provide local employment opportunities for certain groups of people. It provides funding to community services and community businesses including community services for older people and those with disabilities, rural transport initiatives and environmental projects. It is managed for the Department of Social Protection by Pobal, a not-for-profit company that manages programmes on behalf of the Irish Government and the EU.
The Programme focuses on communities where public and private sector services are lacking, either through geographical or social isolation or because demand levels are not sufficient. The Programme also enables the benefit of other public investment to be realised (as in the case of investment in community centres and resources).
The Community Services Programme evolved from the Social Economy Programme and provides funding support to around 450 community companies and co-operatives.
Rules
Types of project
In general, applicants must be not-for-profit companies with sufficient capacity to undertake service delivery and the management of staff. They must also have sufficient financial resources and opportunity to generate revenue to maintain the proposed service, and where necessary, prepare a business plan acceptable to the Programme.
The following types of project that can apply for funding include:
- Community services for older people (excluding healthcare provision)
- Community services which support or employ people with disabilities (excluding healthcare provision)
- Projects, which support and employ stabilised and recovering drug misusers (excluding healthcare provision)
- Community services or community enterprises for island communities
- Community radio
- Community enterprises which support or employ Travellers (excluding healthcare provision)
- Supervising community halls and facilities with a priority focus on disadvantaged areas
Following assessment, contracts of up to 3 years' duration are typically issued to successful community companies and co-operatives that meet the criteria for the Programme.
Qualifying organisations
In order to qualify for funding under the Community Services Programme, organisations must operate on a not-for-profit basis. They must also recruit unemployed people to work in the projects. In general, 70% of employees in projects funded under the Programme must be from one of the following groups:
- Unemployed people in receipt of Jobseeker’s Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or One-Parent Family Payment
- People in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Blind Person’s Pension or other disability payment
- Travellers in receipt of Jobseeker’s Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or One-Parent Family Payment
- Ex-prisoners
- Stabilised and recovering drug misusers
You can find information about employment and CSP grants on the Pobal website.
Funding
Organisations may receive funding on a multi-annual basis to include salaries for management, service delivery and for operational costs.
How to apply
Access to the Programme is managed by public calls for proposals made by the Department of Social Protection from time to time.
Organisations interested in applying for funding should check the information about the Community Services Programme and other programmes managed by Pobal on its website.
Where to apply
Pobal
Holbrook House
Holles Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel:+353 (0)1 240 0700
Fax:+353 (0)1 661 0411
Homepage: http://www.pobal.ie/
Email: enquiries@pobal.ie
Language
Related Documents
- Budget 2010
Budget 2010 was announced on 9 December 2009. Summary of the main changes. - Looking for work: education and training
If you are unemployed there is a range of different education and training opportunities. These include courses specifically for unemployed people. - Tús - community work placement initiative
The Tús initiative is a community work placement scheme providing short-term working opportunities for unemployed people.
Contact Us
If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.